Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Lincoln Pea (Pisum sativum 'Lincoln')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Lincoln Pea, Homesteader Pea, Lincolnshire Dwarf Pea.

More about lincoln pea

About Lincoln Pea

Pisum sativum 'Lincoln' · also called Lincoln Pea, Homesteader Pea · edible

Lincoln is a heritage shelling pea cultivar prized for exceptional sweetness and heat tolerance relative to other shelling types. Plants are compact and largely self-supporting, maturing in around 65 days. Sow early to mid-spring for summer harvest; best eaten fresh as sweetness fades quickly after picking.

Cold limit: USDA 3–11 (cool-season annual) · RHS H4 (10–21°C optimum; tolerates light frost to −2°C)

Watch for — Powdery mildew (late season): Lincoln has moderate resistance but can still be affected as temperatures warm. Harvest promptly and remove spent plants rather than composting if heavily infected.

What lincoln pea's hardiness rating actually means

Hardiness works differently for lincoln pea: it is grown as a seasonal crop, not overwintered. The question is not "what zone" but "how long is your frost-free growing window". Its RHS rating of H4 means: Hardy in an average winter across much of the temperate world. On the US scale that maps to USDA 3–11 (cool-season annual) — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

As an annual crop, its "minimum temperature" is the first hard frost — that is the end of the plant's life, not a survivable low. Many types are also damaged by light frost (around 0 °C).

Concretely, for lincoln pea as it gets too cold:

Light frost (around 0 to −2 °C) damages or kills tender summer crops outright; cold-hardy types take a few degrees of frost.
The plant does not "survive winter" — its life cycle simply ends, by design, when frost arrives or it finishes cropping.
A surprise late spring frost can also kill young transplants set out too early, before the season even starts.

Can lincoln pea go outside or overwinter — and where?

Time it to your frost dates: sow or plant out after the last spring frost, and aim to harvest before the first autumn frost.
In short-season zones, start it indoors or under cover to stretch the effective growing window.
Hardier crops in this group can be sown for an autumn or overwintered harvest in mild zones — check the specific crop.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when lincoln pea can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H4 figure above.

Frost protection for borderline lincoln pea

Lincoln Pea is right on a hardiness edge in many gardens, so if you are pushing it, these measures buy it the margin it needs:

Use fleece, cloches or a cold frame at each end of the season to dodge a borderline frost and add growing weeks.
Have row cover ready for an unexpected late spring or early autumn frost.
Know your local last- and first-frost dates and count back the crop’s days-to-maturity to schedule the sowing.

Lincoln Pea hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is lincoln pea cold hardy?

Hardiness works differently for lincoln pea: it is grown as a seasonal crop, not overwintered. The question is not "what zone" but "how long is your frost-free growing window". A seasonal crop, not a perennial. Lincoln Pea is grown 3–11 (cool-season annual); you sow after the last frost and harvest before the first one, then start again next year.

What is the minimum temperature lincoln pea can survive?

As an annual crop, its "minimum temperature" is the first hard frost — that is the end of the plant's life, not a survivable low. Many types are also damaged by light frost (around 0 °C).

What hardiness zone is lincoln pea?

Lincoln Pea is rated USDA 3–11 (cool-season annual) and RHS H4 — Hardy in an average winter across much of the temperate world.

Can lincoln pea survive winter outside?

Time it to your frost dates: sow or plant out after the last spring frost, and aim to harvest before the first autumn frost. In short-season zones, start it indoors or under cover to stretch the effective growing window. Hardier crops in this group can be sown for an autumn or overwintered harvest in mild zones — check the specific crop.

How do I protect lincoln pea from frost?

Use fleece, cloches or a cold frame at each end of the season to dodge a borderline frost and add growing weeks. Have row cover ready for an unexpected late spring or early autumn frost. Know your local last- and first-frost dates and count back the crop’s days-to-maturity to schedule the sowing.